DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland asked a judge to temporarily stop a state ban on the organization’s use of a video conferencing system to distribute abortion-inducing pills in rural areas.

The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/18D8yh2 ) lawyer Sharon Malheiro told Judge Karen Romano on Wednesday the sole purpose of the rule taking effect Nov. 6 was to prevent women in rural areas from receiving access to a medical procedure that was safe and similar to other telemedicine procedures.

The Iowa Board of Medicine approved the ban in August.

Planned Parenthood seeks a temporary stay on the ruling, followed by a decision to permanently overturn the board’s action.